Freshly retired from his post at Pacific University, longtime Oregon political pundit Russ Dondero is ramping up the activity on his blog.

That's right. Russ Dondero. A blogger. Content seems to vary between progressive commentary and above-the-fray political analysis. (As you'd expect from a political scientist.)

Here's a snippet from his post "Where's Waldo?" analyzing the recent Westlund boomlet:

Westlund is a fiscal conservative who has been a strong advocate for K-12 funding and most recently of a civil union law, which died in Salem this session. Since he's from 'the other' Oregon, he might swoop in like a Ross Perot and surprise everyone with his blend of fiscal conservatism but progressive social values.

That Tom McCall factor in play again? Who knows?

But who else is out there? How about Bill Bradbury, our Secretary of State. Bill stood up for his party against Gordan Smith in the US Senate race in 2004. He's a very popular fellow among enviros and political pros in the state. If Gov K stumbles on the campaign train, Bill would be the choice of insiders to replace him.

Or how about former Secretary of State Phil Keisling? Phil has always been an iconoclastic politician willing to venture forth on new ideas from vote by mail, campaign finance reform and most recently, a non-partisan primary. If Westlund doesn't run as an "I" - how about Phil? Now we're really talking fun!

...

But come the fall, assuming it's a Kulongoski vs. Mannix re-run with Ben Westlund in - or even better a Phil Keisling, Kattie bar the door.

Oregonians might rediscover their maverick tendencies and elect an independent. Why let Minnesota have all the fun in electing Jesse 'the mind' Ventura? With all the Californians living in the state, maybe the Arnold factor will be in play north of the border!

To the Oregon Legislature:

Enough is enough. Twice in two years, reasonable gun safety proposals have not even received a vote in the Oregon Legislature. No solution is perfect, but we must act now to save lives. We ask you to commit now to passing reasonable gun safety laws at your next opportunity.

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Last Name*

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This petition sponsored by BlueOregon and Oregon NOW. By signing, you agree to receive email updates from BlueOregon and Oregon NOW about this petition and other critical issues. (You may always unsubscribe, of course.) Learn more.

To the Oregon Legislature:

Enough is enough. Twice in two years, reasonable gun safety proposals have not even received a vote in the Oregon Legislature. No solution is perfect, but we must act now to save lives. We ask you to commit now to passing reasonable gun safety laws at your next opportunity.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Zip Code*

This petition sponsored by BlueOregon and Oregon NOW. By signing, you agree to receive email updates from BlueOregon and Oregon NOW about this petition and other critical issues. (You may always unsubscribe, of course.) Learn more.